2009 FCS Playoffs

[Oxbow6]

My good buddy is a season ticketholder for the UM Griz. He said SFA was absolutely brutal. Was keeping me updated and SFA had 9 TOs mid way thru the 3rd. He asked how in the world did they hang 60+ on UND?!

[fightingsioux4life]

My good buddy is a season ticketholder for the UM Griz. He said SFA was absolutely brutal. Was keeping me updated and SFA had 9 TOs mid way thru the 3rd. He asked how in the world did they hang 60+ on UND?!

I was thinking the same thing. The weather might have been a factor in the turnovers. It's possible that SFA was banged up by this point in the season and didn't have enough ammo left. Or it shows us just how far we have to go to reach the level Montana has reached in FCS. I think it's a combination of all three.

[star2city]

My good buddy is a season ticketholder for the UM Griz. He said SFA was absolutely brutal. Was keeping me updated and SFA had 9 TOs mid way thru the 3rd. He asked how in the world did they hang 60+ on UND?!

Nine turnovers pretty much explains everything: one turnover is essentially -5 points for SFA. Nebraska lost to Iowa State because nine turnovers. Plus/minus in turnovers is usually the most important statistic in a game.

[Shawn-O]

I was thinking the same thing. The weather might have been a factor in the turnovers. It's possible that SFA was banged up by this point in the season and didn't have enough ammo left. Or it shows us just how far we have to go to reach the level Montana has reached in FCS. I think it's a combination of all three.

I guess we'll find out in less than a year...

[oldskool]

I guess we'll find out in less than a year...

The transition will be hard and football will be able to get better players, due to the fact of just pure numbers. Most kids want to play DI ball so if a kid is holding out for a pac -10 or big 12 dream we can make the dream come true. They can come here (we are not pac 10 or big 12) and play in a very high quality atmosphere and get a great education for free.

We are coming and when we arrive they can try to lock the door and keep us out, but we will get in. Then let the good times will roll!

[firewall]

Get as many recruits as possible to a Sioux hockey game in the Ralph and let them feel that excitement. Excitement they will get at few other schools. Before moving here from Oregon I had never seen a college hockey game. Now I'm completely hooked! My first passion is football but hockey is catching up. Thank you UND and thank you Fighting Sioux for exposing me to that kind of exciting play.

[The Sicatoka]

Texas and Alabama

Boise St and TCU

Cincinnati and Florida

Oregon and Ohio State

Iowa and Georgia Tech

Personally, I wish they'd have swapped Boise St and Iowa.

Having Boise and TCU doesn't benchmark those two against "power" conferences.

My way would do a better job of showing how legitimate the MWC and Big East are.

[star2city]

Texas and Alabama

Boise St and TCU

Cincinnati and Florida

Oregon and Ohio State

Iowa and Georgia Tech

Personally, I wish they'd have swapped Boise St and Iowa.

Having Boise and TCU doesn't benchmark those two against "power" conferences.

My way would do a better job of showing how legitimate the MWC and Big East are.

The BCS conferences did not want any of their teams facing off against Boise St or TCU. An unbeaten BSU and once-beaten TCU played last year in the Liberty low payout Poinsetta Bowl - they couldn't get BCS bowl opponents then either. The Fiesta Bowl matched up those two as a favor to the BCS powers. If both TCU and Boise St had won, the system would have demanded changes. That said, Boise St and TCU will travel well to Phoenix, but both would have been horrible for Orange Bowl attendance (UND probably has more living graduates than either of those two schools). Nobody wanted Cincinnati because they don't travel well at all, but the Sugar was more than happy with Florida fans that will pay dearly to see Tebow play his last game. The GT-Iowa game is basically a joke, but Iowans travel very well and the Orange Bowl wanted to ensure their game was sold out (unlike last year for Cincinnati-Va Tech).

[Matt]

The Cincy-Fla matchup is interesting, and the title game should be good. Outside of that, I'm not very excited for the bowl season and I normally watch nearly every game.

[bincitysioux]

I don't care for the BCS compared to a playoff system either, but I think it is better than the previous arrangement. In the mid 90's I really didn't care much for having #1 play #5 in the Sugar Bowl and #2 play #6 in the Rose Bowl due to all of the various bowl tie-ins. And then in several cases end up with "Co-National Champions".

[Shawn-O]

But spin they will, and spew their usual garbage about how a playoff system will "cheapen" the Bowl games. I've just about resigned myself to the fact that I'll never see a true FBS Football playoff series, but why can't they do this:

Play all the Bowl games like they do now, and have the 4 games with National Championship implications play on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1. Then take the winners of those 4 games and have them play the semifinals either the next Saturday/Sunday evenings after the NFL playoffs, or during the week sometime. Then play the TRUE National Championship game whenever they see fit, again after the NFL playoffs or during the week. That way it wouldn't "cheapen" their Bowl games and we would have a true champion, plus they would have 3 more televised paydays.

I personally hope there is 4 undefeated teams, just to put a little more egg on their faces.

*END OF RANT

If there is ever to be a playoff, this is probably the most realistic scenario. It would actually be a +2 in number of games, with the four bowls plus the National Championship game currently. Boise State would be on the outside looking in with this format this year, so there's always going to be controversy.

[star2city]

If there is ever to be a playoff, this is probably the most realistic scenario. It would actually be a +2 in number of games, with the four bowls plus the National Championship game currently. Boise State would be on the outside looking in with this format this year, so there's always going to be controversy.

DII and FCS already know how. For FBS, on campus locations for the first eight games, bowl locations thereafter:

With the CAA losing two of it's weakest teams, it might actually be stronger than MAC and even CUSA. (The CAA is already > Sunbelt). Maybe they could throw in the FCS champ as one of the 16.

[Shawn-O]

DII and FCS already know how. For FBS, on campus locations for the first eight games, bowl locations thereafter:

With the CAA losing two of it's weakest teams, it might actually be stronger than MAC and even CUSA. (The CAA is already > Sunbelt). Maybe they could throw in the FCS champ as one of the 16.

I'm pretty sure for all NCAA championships there is at least the same number of at-large bids as automatics, so we'd be looking at a 22-team tournament, minimum. Even if a semi-final and championship we're built around the existing four BCS bowls I'm wondering how that'd work.

[star2city]

I'm pretty sure for all NCAA championships there is at least the same number of at-large bids as automatics, so we'd be looking at a 22-team tournament, minimum. Even if a semi-final and championship we're built around the existing four BCS bowls I'm wondering how that'd work.

There is no rule as such. FCS and DII have historically been at 16. Lacrosse is 16.

Basketball used to be a 24 bid field (in the early 70's).

The bowls could bid on hosting, based on the teams in the grid. (i.e. Cotton Bowl bids to host winner of Texas/ECU and Iowa/Oregon). The first round of the playoffs would be this week at campus locations. The next round (first bowls) follows the weekend before Christmas. The semifinals could be New Years - weekend after. The finals would be the weekend before the Super Bowl. With that type schedule, travel arrangements can be made.

The potential amount of money that the NCAA and FBS would make off this would be much more than the BCS gives out now. All the bowls could still exist: only six or seven would participate in the playoffs.

[MplsBison]

Keep the bowls going and just do a NCAA sponsored 4 team FBS playoff for the top 4 teams in the BCS rankings. Get rid of that stupid Harris poll and put the AP poll back in it along with the Coach's poll and computers.

Alabama v TCU @ Tuscaloosa, Texas v Cincinnati @ Austin. Winners play in NC game hosted by winning bid.

Rose bowl is Oregon v Ohio State

Fiesta is Boise State v Iowa

Sugar is Florida v VT

Orange is Georgia Tech v LSU

[fightingsioux4life]

There is no rule as such. FCS and DII have historically been at 16. Lacrosse is 16.

Basketball used to be a 24 bid field (in the early 70's).

The bowls could bid on hosting, based on the teams in the grid. (i.e. Cotton Bowl bids to host winner of Texas/ECU and Iowa/Oregon). The first round of the playoffs would be this week at campus locations. The next round (first bowls) follows the weekend before Christmas. The semifinals could be New Years - weekend after. The finals would be the weekend before the Super Bowl. With that type schedule, travel arrangements can be made.

The potential amount of money that the NCAA and FBS would make off this would be much more than the BCS gives out now. All the bowls could still exist: only six or seven would participate in the playoffs.

This is almost the exact format I have envisioned for an FBS playoff. The major bowls would be playoff games; the minor bowls could serve the same function as the NIT in college basketball. I do think that there are too many bowl games; almost every team with six wins gets to go to a bowl game. I would get rid of some of the weaker bowl games, if that means some six win teams don't go bowling, then so be it. Otherwise, I would leave the lower to middle bowl games alone.

And one more thing, no more having polls decide anything. Have a computerized ranking system like they use for the NCAA Basketball Tournament and have a selection committee make the tough, borderline decisions on who gets seeded where and who gets at-large bids and who doesn't. Every team earns what it gets based on their record and who they beat. That would eliminate 99% of the controversy and put the focus on the teams and players, which is where it belongs.

[jodcon]

Keep the bowls going and just do a NCAA sponsored 4 team FBS playoff for the top 4 teams in the BCS rankings. Get rid of that stupid Harris poll and put the AP poll back in it along with the Coach's poll and computers.

Alabama v TCU @ Tuscaloosa, Texas v Cincinnati @ Austin. Winners play in NC game hosted by winning bid.

Rose bowl is Oregon v Ohio State

Fiesta is Boise State v Iowa

Sugar is Florida v VT

Orange is Georgia Tech v LSU

Problem is they will never go with any playoff that does not involve the Bowl games somehow, that's why I think a 4 team playoff AFTER the Bowls would be more likely to be approved, and the top 4 Bowl games should be the #1-8 teams, then there should be no undefeated teams left out. Of course, the Rose Bowl would screw up that system because of their Pac 10/Big 10 deal, so there would be problems there too.

At this point, I would go with almost anything they proposed.

[Hammersmith]

There is no rule as such. FCS and DII have historically been at 16. Lacrosse is 16.

Basketball used to be a 24 bid field (in the early 70's).

The bowls could bid on hosting, based on the teams in the grid. (i.e. Cotton Bowl bids to host winner of Texas/ECU and Iowa/Oregon). The first round of the playoffs would be this week at campus locations. The next round (first bowls) follows the weekend before Christmas. The semifinals could be New Years - weekend after. The finals would be the weekend before the Super Bowl. With that type schedule, travel arrangements can be made.

The potential amount of money that the NCAA and FBS would make off this would be much more than the BCS gives out now. All the bowls could still exist: only six or seven would participate in the playoffs.

Yes and no. There is a rule stating at least half the FCS playoff slots must be reserved for at-large selections, but it doesn't seem to go beyond FCS football. It's in the DI Football Championship Handbook under Automatic Qualification Criteria/Process.

The Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet policy stipulates that for the Division I Football Championship at least 50 percent of the bracket shall be reserved for at-large selections, and no more than 50 percent of the bracket shall be available for automatic qualification of eligible conferences.

I spot-checked a few other championship handbooks but did not see similar statements in those. Still, if there were to be an FBS playoff with more autobids than at-larges, I believe it would be the only championship like that in Division I.

[star2city]

Problem is they will never go with any playoff that does not involve the Bowl games somehow, that's why I think a 4 team playoff AFTER the Bowls would be more likely to be approved, and the top 4 Bowl games should be the #1-8 teams, then there should be no undefeated teams left out. Of course, the Rose Bowl would screw up that system because of their Pac 10/Big 10 deal, so there would be problems there too.

At this point, I would go with almost anything they proposed.

The Big 10/Pac 10/Rose Bowl are holding up a playoff system: the Big 10 especially as it knows it would lose out 80% of matchups to the SEC and Big 12. The Big 10 hardly wins the Rose Bowl now, even without USC as an opponent.

If a playoff was installed, ratings would be huge. Fans would check out every game, just to see how possible matchups are progressing. A true national tournament championship game could end up rivaling the Super Bowl in ratings, as it would have weeks of buildup and hype.

As far as there being too many bowls: so what. Every bowl is in it to make money for a charitable organization: if they don't they go bust. Even the lowest rated bowls have higher ratings than the FCS championship game, so by going FBS, schools get more exposure. For example, the Humanitarian Bowl in Boise gets more hype, higher attendance, and more importantly, higher ratings, than the FCS championship in Chattanooga. (Even the DII game in Florence gets higher ratings than the FCS game.) The problem with the FCS tournament is that visiting fans can't travel on six days notice: a longer time is needed for travel and media hype. With the FCS moving it's championship game after New Years for next season, the FCS championship game ratings and attendance may finally increase.

[RD17]

The Big 10/Pac 10/Rose Bowl are holding up a playoff system: the Big 10 especially as it knows it would lose out 80% of matchups to the SEC and Big 12. The Big 10 hardly wins the Rose Bowl now, even without USC as an opponent.

If a playoff was installed, ratings would be huge. Fans would check out every game, just to see how possible matchups are progressing. A true national tournament championship game could end up rivaling the Super Bowl in ratings, as it would have weeks of buildup and hype.

As far as there being too many bowls: so what. Every bowl is in it to make money for a charitable organization: if they don't they go bust. Even the lowest rated bowls have higher ratings than the FCS championship game, so by going FBS, schools get more exposure. For example, the Humanitarian Bowl in Boise gets more hype, higher attendance, and more importantly, higher ratings, than the FCS championship in Chattanooga. (Even the DII game in Florence gets higher ratings than the FCS game.) The problem with the FCS tournament is that visiting fans can't travel on six days notice: a longer time is needed for travel and media hype. With the FCS moving it's championship game after New Years for next season, the FCS championship game ratings and attendance may finally increase.

Unfortunately, FCS football is a dead end in many respects. The financials don't work and programs all over the country are suffering, as evidenced by two schools from the nation's best conference dropping the sport within the last couple of weeks. Hopefully moving the title game helps with exposure, but to my knowledge, the only FCS game that was on the ESPN family of networks last week was a non-playoff game (Southern vs Texas Southern on ESPNU), which to me speaks volumes about the marketability of this level of play.

The NCAA recently published a study showing that the average FCS school uses $8 million dollars of institutional support to support its overall athletic program. That figure is larger than the total athletic budget for 95% of the D-II schools. When a school like UNI has to hire a consultant to take a serious look at the viability of its program at the FCS scholarship level, there is a problem. I have to imagine that many of the CAA schools that are dumping millions into facilities and budgets will move to FBS soon to maximize their revenue potential.

[jodcon]

If a playoff was installed, ratings would be huge. Fans would check out every game, just to see how possible matchups are progressing. A true national tournament championship game could end up rivaling the Super Bowl in ratings, as it would have weeks of buildup and hype.

And you would think the prospect of all that exposure and $$$$$$$$$$ would be alluring to the NCAA, that's what they're really after bottom line.

[Bison Dan]

Unfortunately, FCS football is a dead end in many respects. The financials don't work and programs all over the country are suffering, as evidenced by two schools from the nation's best conference dropping the sport within the last couple of weeks. Hopefully moving the title game helps with exposure, but to my knowledge, the only FCS game that was on the ESPN family of networks last week was a non-playoff game (Southern vs Texas Southern on ESPNU), which to me speaks volumes about the marketability of this level of play.

The NCAA recently published a study showing that the average FCS school uses $8 million dollars of institutional support to support its overall athletic program. That figure is larger than the total athletic budget for 95% of the D-II schools. When a school like UNI has to hire a consultant to take a serious look at the viability of its program at the FCS scholarship level, there is a problem. I have to imagine that many of the CAA schools that are dumping millions into facilities and budgets will move to FBS soon to maximize their revenue potential.

UNI is in a tough situation. They are the bastard team in Iowa. Almost everyone is either a Iowa or Iowa State fan. When we went there last year we had over 3,000 in the stands and their dome wasn't even full. Their students sit in the best seats on the east side but they had good attendence. When they came here this year I doubt there were 50 UNI fans that showed up. Maybe bb is their money thing but they just don't have the fan base in fb to bring in the $$. I think they charge the students a lot in fees.

[SiouxMD]

UNI is in a tough situation. They are the bastard team in Iowa. Almost everyone is either a Iowa or Iowa State fan. When we went there last year we had over 3,000 in the stands and their dome wasn't even full. Their students sit in the best seats on the east side but they had good attendence. When they came here this year I doubt there were 50 UNI fans that showed up. Maybe bb is their money thing but they just don't have the fan base in fb to bring in the $$. I think they charge the students a lot in fees.

This summer I was assigned to the 294th Medical Company (Area Support) from Iowa City, Iowa. Not surprisingly the majority were Hawkeye fans. I found two Cyclones fans. Zero Panther fans. In fact...most just laughed.

Tough crowd.

[BigGame]

My good buddy is a season ticketholder for the UM Griz. He said SFA was absolutely brutal. Was keeping me updated and SFA had 9 TOs mid way thru the 3rd. He asked how in the world did they hang 60+ on UND?!

Early in the game SFA got the ball down to the goaline on a big play and then fumbled it away. I would say most of the turnovers were SFA playing bad more than the Griz playing good. The end result would have still been very one sided but SFA was brutal in this game. A couple of the INT's were as bad as I have ever witnessed by a college level QB.

[Stromer]

I guess I'm in the camp that hopes that FBS never does go to a playoff. And if they do I hope they try to fix the current system first. Is it crazy that there isn't a playoff to decide the champion? Yes. However, its been that way for years. Why start monkeying with it now? Why not fix the system first?

The real tragedy in the BCS are the polls. While human input is needed, currently the polls lead to the problems we see today. Using presason ratings handicaps a fair number of teams before the season even starts. Most posters find it hard to drop a team unless they lose. So if you start high, most years you can even lose a game and still stay ahead of unbeaten teams that have to climb up the charts. I would prefer a system that only uses human input at the end of the year. Does anybody out there really think that Texas would be ranked ahead of TCU or Cinc if humans only ranked the teams after the year? Combining that with the computers (to emphasize strength of schedule) would make for a much better BCS. Now there would still be problems (media wanting to still do polls during the year, who gets to vote, etc.) but I think they could be worked around. Dropping the bowls or other worse options (like including the bowls in the playoff) might still eventually need to happen but I think the tradition can be saved while making the current system work if people would think of other alternatives.